Lydia's One Task
by Meisariel
Summary: "Vex said this was a challenge, so I have to do it alone. However, I thought of a simple task for you. Just stay out here and make sure nobody comes in. Got it, Lydia?"
1. Chapter 1

It felt warmer than usual in Whiterun with only a slight, soft breeze. The leaves of the tree in the park were slowly turning from dark green to hues of red, orange, and yellow, then detaching and showering the ground around it. At this time of the evening, the birds stopped chirping to let the crickets start. The water rushed throughout the city in narrow man made streams. Most of the people were at the taverns to celebrate Emperor's Day, and few in their houses. Because of this, Ellaria saw it as the perfect time to steal from the most important family in the city, the Battle-Borns.

"This is one of the hardest tasks that can be assigned," Vex had told her. "But Brynjolf says you're a master, so I trust you won't mess this up."

_I won't mess up,_ she promised herself. Even when she was young, her deft hands could take gold coins straight from someone's pocket without them noticing. That was how she survived being the youngest in a very large family. Sometimes her parents forgot they had her, and her 10 older siblings purposely ignored her. Even after escaping Summerset Isles, she pickpocketed and swiped a few necessities to make her last the journey.

Then, in Skyrim, Brynjolf came along and admired her skills, eventually taking her into the Guild. The newbies laughed at the skinny, short elf, and the professionals thought she wouldn't last a week in the family. Then only a few days later, their eyes would gleam at her, like a miner that had spotting gold. She had been given the task to collect debts from three different people, and she successfully carried it out on the first try. When one of the thieves asked her how it was, she simply replied, "Easy."

Sure, people like Mjoll and Elenwen had successfully thwarted her plans in the past, whether it was catching her in the middle of her job or taking a stolen item back. The important part was that she always managed to escape with her head still on her shoulders.

The only difference was that now, she was accepted by Nocturnal herself. Karliah, Brynjolf, and she began to wear the black robes of a Nightingale. She didn't like the blade though. Instead, she preferred her ebony katana that would set itself on fire when she squeezed hard enough. Otherwise, to avoid causing a fire, she could just use it as a regular blade. She stroked the hilt.

_Tip tap tip tap, _her perceptive Elven ears caught the sound of steel boots marching behind her. Her walking stopped, eyes widened, and her face lost it's color for a split second. Almost immediately, she gripped the handle, pulled the sword from it's sheath, and twirled around with beautiful agility. The blade was not aflame, yet the tip was sharply pointed to her opponents chest.

Her opponent's hands went up next to herself, and her face was drained from all it's color, though it didn't have very much. Ellaria took the time to ponder the woman's appearance before making a strike. She had shoulder-length dark hair, with a small braid on the left side. Her eyes looked brown, but when the light of the brazier caught them, they were truly hazel.

Recognizing the features, she took her sword back and sheathed it. Then she turned back to scold the woman. "Lydia!" she spat, careful not to be too loud. "I told you to stay at Breezehome! Why were you following me?"

"I could tell you were going on some adventure," she said with obvious guilt in her voice. "I just wanted to make sure you would be fine."

Ellaria facepalmed. She did think of her housecarl as one of her greatest friends. When she was in the tundras of Skyrim for less than a week, she had already been proclaimed Dragonborn. Having no knowledge of the country at all, a billion questions were spinning in her head all at once. Lydia, thankfully, came into her life to answer those questions. Not only that, but everyone depended on her, and expected her to save the world. It was a heavy load of stress on her shoulders, and she barely had enough strength to carry it. Luckily, Lydia came and carried half of it for her. It made her able to stand up straight and slay Alduin.

Even though these two shared a bond so strong they could walk in Oblivion together, at some points they were irritated in each other's presence. Ellaria was finished with her greatest quest ever, and sometimes wanted to handle simple missions alone. She slayed the worst, most menacing dragon ever. Why can't she deliver a petty letter from one person to another without help? Lydia, on the other hand, knew Skyrim was dangerous. Traveling alone always had a chance of death, and she had promised the Jarl to put her life before her Thane's. If Ellaria died, but she was still alive, she would fail. In her foolhardy mind, failure was worse than death.

"Lydia," Ellaria looked back at her. "I know you would die before me, but I can take care of myself. Plus this is a simple job here in Whiterun, so there's probably no danger."

"There's danger in everything," Lydia said flippantly. "What if a murderer jumps out of an ally and backstabs you? What it they shoot an arrow at you and you die before you knew what hit you?"

Ellaria shook her head, then took in a sigh as she thought about what to say next. Before she spoke, she came up and put a hand on the Nord's shoulder. "From my experiences, Whiterun is by far the safest hold Skyrim has. Something like that is more likely to happen in Riften or Falkreath."

"Okay," she replied, nodding her head. "But how come I never get to go with you on adventures anymore?"

The second she said that, the elf felt like shrieking and pulling every strand of hair from her scalp. _Did she have to bring that up!?_ Her mind boomed. _Was it really necessary?!_ She wasn't going to debate. She had to give up. This conversation was burning precious time; time she would need to carry out the task.

"Fine," she mumbled. Lydia bounced with excitement, knowing the words that were coming next. "You can come with me."

Quickly, before she was about to throw her arms up and shout, "YAY!", she shushed her. "This is one of my thieving jobs, so you have to be silent and watch where you step. Let me take care of the business."

"Got it," she nodded simply. Lydia knew that she was a thief, and was perfectly fine with it. She was sworn to respect her after all.

The two women were already in the middle of the Plains District, right next to The Drunken Huntsman. That was good. They didn't have very long to walk, probably less than a block. Ellaria had already wasted enough time arguing with Lydia, but was glad she was here. They both continued to walk.

By now, the sky was dark blue, and billions of twinkling stars were fully visible. The long, lime green auroras streaked the sky like a paint stroke on a canvas. As much as she wanted to sit on a bench and just watch the sky, she had work to do. Even though Summerset Isles was forever warm with beautiful golden beaches, the night sky was just dark. No stars or lights, just simple darkness. Because of this, they often distracted her.

She couldn't be distracted now. The large house was just in front of her. She took a few seconds to study the architecture. It was the size of a small mansion, and made of wood. The walls were not painted. The roof was golden and scaled, unlike most of the thatched ones in the rest of the city. That was all the details she needed.

From her pocket, she took a single, thin iron pick. Without a second of hesitation, she latched it inside the lock. It was hard, the lock was pure steel and oddly shaped. However, her fingers couldn't fail her. She put her ear closer and listened to the crack of the lock rotating. Soon enough, the door was unlocked.

"How did you do that?" Lydia asked behind her, awestruck at how fast she was.

Ellaria turned back to smirk at her housecarl. "Practice," she answered simply. Then her expression went a bit more serious. "You can't come in though. You'd get in my way, no offense."

"I understand," she blurted. Ellaria was a bit annoyed at the interruption, but she continued.

"Vex said this was a challenge, so I have to do it alone. However, I thought of a simple task for you. Just stay out here and make sure nobody comes in. Got it, Lydia?"

She nodded right as she finished talking. It made Ellaria think she had barely listened, but she brushed it off.

"Okay," was all she said before entering the house.

The interior was as large as she thought it would be. The walls were decorated with the heads of goats, bears, and deer. The entrance room was adorned with a rug with chairs around it. A fireplace was in front of it all. On each side was a flight of stairs, leading up to a visible balcony.

The place was truly beautiful, but now wasn't the time for distractions.


	2. Chapter 2

**If you've already read chapter two, well read this slightly better version. Please tell me via review if their is something wrong with it, because I have a strong feeling that there is something I missed, despite revising. I am a bit agitated today, mainly because I nearly got into a car crash that would've killed me, but here I am. Still typing words. I've wasted enough time attempting to make this perfect, but this hasn't been the best summer I've had. Well, I hope you enjoy this better than I've had revising it.**

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An entire hour had passed. Ellaria had searched and sifted through everything in sight. Her legs grew sore from sitting too long, only to become numb at the worst of moments. Later, she would have to stand back up and feel the prickling on her skin, like a series of very small blades striking her. She worked quickly, yet thoroughly, went to three rooms, and left a million junk piles everywhere (which probably wasn't a good idea). The only thought her mind lingered on was: Where is the locket?

She sped up in the bedroom she was searching as it became harder to focus on her findings. She had to force her eyes to become keener. In one swift movement, she ripped the bedding and sheets and threw them on the floor. There was nothing. She then hopped on the bed and flung each pillow off, one by one, and there was still nothing. She got back on her feet, and overturned the mattress. Still nothing.

That was it. She summoned up all her strength to throw the wooden frame over. It creaked and tumbled, smashing a glass jewelry box and burying a book on an end table. She had already tossed everything out of the box, and didn't need the book. She only cared for the locket.

"Woah…" a voice came from behind her. Someone had watched her in her moment of rage, and she knew who. Her face turned bright red and she bit her lower lip. Finally she decided this was urgent news if Lydia came in, and had to face her.

"What are you doing!?" she yelled. Lydia nearly jumped, deciding it was best to speak quickly. She reminded herself not to hesitate, and fearlessly answered.

"Jon Battle-Born is walking up here! He's already in the Wind District!" she almost blurted. The words came out a bit fast, but Ellaria's ears caught every single one.

She nearly stepped back, but wouldn't. _Only Jon_, she smiled. Everything would be fine as long as the "great patron" Olfrid never came. She couldn't help the fact he was too stubborn to manipulate. His sons, however, shouldn't be a problem. She had come prepared, reaching behind her cloak and grabbing a letter from her belt. It was decorated in girlish hearts and flowers, and the words "From Olfina" were written in fine cursive.

She shoved it to Lydia. A confident, yet serious expression stuck to her face, as she ordered, "Demand him to leave. If he doesn't do what he's told, threaten to show this to his parents. Trust me, this will work."

She took it in her hand and observed it for seconds. _Does Jon have some type of forbidden love with Olfina? _she wondered. Ultimately curious, she opened it to read. She was barely into the first sentence when Ellaria shoved it into her, crinkling it. She shouted, "Reading it doesn't matter. Go!"

Frightened, she closed it and ran down the stairs, two by two. She had to be careful not to trip, since it was messier than a teenage boy's bedroom. Every item from a nearby bookshelf was piled in her way, and the shelf was knocked over and would give someone splinters. She cautiously leaped over that and reached the front door.

She opened it before him to meet Jon, eyes wide, eyebrows curled, mouth gaping open. Maybe that was because he saw the condition of the house, or why she was here.

She cleared her throat. "I'm busy here, so why don't you go away?" she asked in a hardy tone, yet still forcing herself to keep calm.

It sounded almost like a threat to him. He frowned as he made a glare that nearly pierced her. "This is my house," he said in an haughty tone. "So why don't you go away?"

She too had to frown. What was she supposed to say? In only a matter of seconds, she finally remembered. She didn't need to talk, she held up the letter in her hands. His eyes bulged from their sockets. "What about this?" She snarled.

"Where did you get that!?" He demanded. A look of fear crossed his face, and no matter how much he tried to hide it, Lydia could notice it clear as a clean window.

She couldn't raise her voice. That may start an unwanted fight. "That doesn't matter now. Just look the other way, and this can remain a secret."

He puffed a sigh, and gave her one final glare before turning his back and walking away. The moment he was barely in her sight, she smirked. "I am very good at this," she thought out loud, whispering. "My Thane would love to hear that."

Then she started to think. By now, Jon was out of sight, probably feeling too much of a target to dare tell anyone. Maybe it was her blackmail, or his secret, but either way he shouldn't tell. That gave her time to possibly slip inside for a minute…

_No,_ she thought. Ellaria told her to keep watch, and that meant keeping an eye on the road, and making sure they went away. She had already done it once, but a second time would be unforgivable.

Her mind barely lingered on that thought. "No, I can just slip in really quick, get the word out and come straight back out. It shouldn't take that long." In only a few seconds, absent-minded Lydia had swung the door open.

"My Thane!" She called out constantly, excitedly. Ellaria was still upstairs, this time in a smaller bedroom. Lydia supposed it belonged to Lars, with toys and sweets laying around. Ellaria jumped and turned around, immediately flashing a glare.

"What!?" She growled. Lydia jumped, like she always had. Then she hesitated, thinking, _What was I going to say?_

Ellaria glared even harsher. "Why are you here? You're supposed to be on watch," she growled again.

She didn't answer, still thinking about what she was going to say. Ellaria kept her expression. After only a few seconds, she implied that this wasn't important. Lydia may be a bit foolish, but she was usually serious with urgent news.

"Don't just stand here. Keep watch!" She said loudly, yet no more than a yell.

That made Lydia jump and run back. What was she going to say? How was she supposed to word it correctly? Well now she would just have to stay on patrol. Just in time too. The second she went outside, she noticed Idolaf marching up, looking angry. "You!" He shouted and pointed at her. She froze, yet refused to hold her hands up. Ellaria had taught her better. Instead she would just wait for the next few words.

"You decided to pick on my little brother! I think we need to settle some business," he yelled at her, cracking his knuckles.

The normal Lydia would've been easily agitated and pounced on him with a punch, but currently she decided to stay calm. She didn't reply to him, and in only a few seconds the silence was getting too long and awkward.

"So, do you want to fight, or are you too much of a coward?" he taunted, holding his tight fists in a fighting position.

"A brawl?" she asked a bit too quickly, almost stupidly. It almost sounded like she didn't know what that was, although she had been in a few.

Idolaf stood still for a single second, only to turn back to a regular position and drop his face to the palm of his hand. Lydia was a quick thinker, and decided to put his state of frustration to her advantage.

Before he had the chance to look up again, she smirked. "Okay," she accepted. When his face was barely in sight, she balled her fist with all her strength and landed a hard punch to it.

Immediately, he took offense. He looked back up and punched her back. However, she was quick enough to duck, his fist nearly brushing her hair. While she was still low, she was able to finally pounce and pin him to the ground. He let out a scream as she threw kicks and punches all over him. He thought women were lightweight, but a woman in steel armor was a whole different story. It made Lydia glad she wore it. Although her movements were audible, her hits hurt more and it was easier to hold people down. He wanted to cover his face, but that would be cowardly. He could only start to punch her too, although the banging on the metal could crack his knuckles.

Neither of them knew how long it had lasted. It felt like an hour because they were exceedingly sore, but the sensible answer couldn't be more than 10 minutes. She quickly remembered that fistfighting in armor was definitely harder than wearing it. Eventually, he was able to throw her off, and she could only painfully fall.

"I told you I would give you payback," he got the strength to stand up pull out a dagger. Frightening shadows hung from his eyes. "Anything you want to say?"

She coughed as an attempt to regain her voice. "I think you need to know something," she choked and pointed her finger up in a logical manner.

"What is it?" He lowered the knife, sounding annoyed. It was gripped tightly in his hand, ready for killing, and he felt this would be a waste of words. All he could do though was listen.

She stood up carefully, extremely sore, but finally was able to speak clearly. "According to the official rules of brawling, the entire fight must be unarmed."

He could only stare, dumbfounded, and wanted to refuse the truth. No matter what though, it was still completely true. She continued, "...and murdering me will only get you arrested. For now, you just broke a rule, and that means you're disqualified."

"No fair!" He complained like a child, and threw the knife on the ground with much force. The bang of steel against the road was enough to make someone jump in fear. "You were on the ground!"

"Then you threatened to kill me. You're lucky the guards are too sleepy to care."

He looked around. Although there weren't many guards in sight, the remaining seemed absent minded, drunk, or both. With that he could only scoff in defeat. She had a strong point about that. He turned around. "You're right," he pointed. "I'll also make sure word gets to my father that you're not going to let us enter."

Deep down inside, she wanted to widen her eyes and cower in fear. However, he was still looking. Ellaria once made herself clear long ago, with a long list of rules she was given to memorize and follow. One of them was to never cry or cower in front of opponents, claiming it would slightly ruin her reputation. So she waited for him to turn away. Immediately after, she couldn't help herself. Ellaria had to know of the threat. When he was farther away, she raced inside the house.

"Woah!" she accidentally slipped on two books like they were ice, stumbling. Luckily, she was able to grab nearby railing to stop her fall.

Ellaria heard someone entering again. At this point, she was too afraid of being caught. Setting the ceramic vase down, she withdrew her blade and darted out of the room. "Lydia!" she would've screamed, yet it came out quieter than she had expected. She sheathed the sword. Lydia noticed her hands were covered in cuts and scratches, and her hair was loose and tangled.

"Don't worry about that, they are only flesh wounds," she tried to assure her, and tucked her arms behind herself. Finally, it came to her senses that she wasn't here to mend her injuries. "And why did you come back when I specifically told you…"

"Olfrid!" The word slipped from her mouth a bit too quick and too loud. She gasped and covered her mouth, the constant phrase of _I interrupted her!_ repeating millions of times in her head. Another rule from the list broken. Before she could start to hallucinate, she forced herself back into the world.

Then it finally happened. For the first time Lydia has ever seen, Ellaria paused, her mind unable to think. She bit her lip, realizing it too. Olfrid had a natural talent of intimidation, and his position was much higher than any Thane in the city. The Jarl had him closer on his side.

Maybe she had a plan, maybe she didn't, she couldn't remember. Either way, she had finally come to realization that it would be trash. All she knew she could do was tilt her head back and let the tears swell in her eyes.

Then Ellaria was half-heartedly thankful she didn't stop and cry. Rough flesh slapped her strong against her cheek, leaving a bright red mark. She looked up, at first furious to see Lydia standing in front of her, her eyes blazed with invisible fire. "Have you gone insane?!" she yelled, her voice like thunder. To avoid being caught, she had to hush herself. "From the beginning, I thought you were the absolute perfect Thane I could look up to. Everyone in Dragonsreach talked of your heroism, of the way you wielded magic and swung your sword in perfect harmony. Even though you're a bit of a...kleptomaniac, you were still a master at everything you did."

By now, she had wiped at the wetness of her eyes and sucked the remaining tears back in. Although she spoke with true passion, she was still wasting time, and finally Ellaria gently pushed her back down the stairs. Still, she was smiling and nodded her head.

"We'll talk about this later. I'm sorry, but we've passed enough time, I still don't have a plan, and you'll have to wing this. Whatever you do..." she grabbed her arm with a firm grip and forced her to turn, facing her. Her expression was the type that shouldn't be joked with. "don't approach me again."

"It's a promise," Lydia swore. She let go and pushed her back down.

"I'm trusting you," She finally said, and disappeared into a hallway.

She went back down the stairs, but before she came to the ground, the door swung open violently. "What happened to my house?!" An enraged Olfrid roared so loud his voice could've echoed in the sky and caused a storm. His sons were at his side, yet they kept a moderately irritated expression, and only crossed their arms.

_Wing it__. That's just what I'll have to do. _Lydia thought, treading quickly up to him. He looked at her, and she fought back grimacing. The wrinkles in his face were deep from his frown and slanted eyebrows. Before he could talk, she had to speak first. "It's not what it looks like," she lied.

He only glared at her, demanding an explanation. She swallowed before saying, "Um...uh, drunkards! They were here a while back. I will never know how they got into this house, but I chased them down and forced them out." She pointed at the disaster of the house. "I was just cleaning up."

He raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be helping your Thane?" He tried to trick her.

She was clever, and wasn't going to fall into the trap. "She should be asleep by now. She's taking an adventure somewhere, going by herself."

"Then why were you acting so possessive of our house?" Jon inquired further. "You wouldn't let me go inside, and threatened me to leave."

_That's right, _Lydia thought. That statement was menacing, and she wouldn't have a good lie to follow it. She could only blurt out a half-random statement that obviously wouldn't work. "I was afraid you would see the mess."

"I saw the mess from outside."

"I didn't notice."

_Things aren't going too well,_ Ellaria thought. For the past few minutes, she had been searching silently, putting everything she searched back in it's respectful placement. She peaked her head out the door and eyed her next room, quietly striding out. Before she entered though, she turned her back to face the scene.

"There were no signs of drunkards leaving a trail to our house, so what are you trying to hide?" Idolaf accused Lydia.

"I'm not hiding anything!" She tried to hard not to sound like a teenager, but the annoying tone slipped from her mouth. She calmed, "I told you a million times, drunkards were here. I just cleaned up the road, and now I'm cleaning your house. You should thank me."

Thinking she was safe for a few more minutes, Ellaria carelessly turned around. That might've been her worst mistake by far. It started with the feeling of her cloak whipping something, and she quickly reached by trying to catch it. It was a fine glass vase, yet she underestimated the weight and fragility, and it burst to pieces in her hand. The shards pierced her skin, and she let out a shrill yelp, before hearing herself and turning silent. She never knew if it was that or the final crash to the floor, but it pinpointed her exact location in the house.

"Thief!" he never saw her, but rushed outside to find the guards. Before exiting into the cool autumn air, and shouted a demand back to his sons. "Find her!"

They turned back to Lydia quickly for questioning and threatening, but she was faster and was already trotting the top stairs. They chased her up, but by the time the made it half-way up the disastrous stairway, she had fled down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms. They slipped and struggled, and eventually, used the rails to finish the way up.

They couldn't see her anywhere, and all eight doors were closed. They walked near them and gave each knob a hard twist, they all seemed open, until Jon checked the last one.

He twisted it with all his might, again with two hands. Eventually, he knew that no one else could've locked that door. "She's in here," he said firmly to his brother.

Lydia pressed her ear against the door and heard him say that. Letting go of it, she ran up to Ellaria to talk to her quietly, then noticed her hand. "That looks terrible," her voice was nearly a whisper.

Ellaria looked down at it, her entire palm was covered in blood, although the gash was cut diagonally across. Drops of it slithered down her fingers and dripped onto the floor. This should need attention right now, but that couldn't happen. All she could do was walk over to fallen drawers and pick up a tan linen glove and put it on, covering the injury.

"That wouldn't be enough," she continued. Ellaria sighed, almost flinching when she curled her fingers in a fist, testing the pain. _Obviously,_ she thought.

"It's all I can do, for now at least," she replied, being kinder than she wanted to. "All that's important right now is finding a way out."

She was about to wander around searching, but Lydia pointed up, "Behind you," she said simply. So she turned around and looked in her direction. At first she only saw rafters, until she rotated around, and a small escape window appeared next to it.

"Lydia, you're a genius!" she wanted to exclaim audibly, but kept her voice a murmur. She had never climbed on rafters before, but that seemed like the only way to go.

Not being able to jump very high, she pushed the bed against the wall and flipped the mattress back on. Even if she jumped, that still wouldn't be enough, and she could easily tell that. So she took the the dresser without drawers and turned it face down on the mattress. She stood on that, wobbling on it, but when she jumped her fingertips barely touched the bottom. _One more item,_ she looked around, and found an end table. She stacked that sideways onto the dresser, and finally, she was able to climb onto the rafters, without having to jump.

"Lydia," she reached a hand down to her. "Jump up and I'll help you."

That was just what she was about to do, but then they heard the lock of the door undo, and the brothers came running in, drawing their swords. By instinct, she drew hers out too. Ellaria pulled her arm back up straight away. _Don't do that, Lydia!_ She yelled in her mind. Now she would be in a sword fight two against one. Before that could happen though, she took her unharmed hand and casted a paralysis spell on them. They froze with their sword in the air and fell.

"Sheathe your blade and come up here!" She pointed to the poorly made structure she had used herself. Lydia didn't have to be commanded a second time. She jumped onto it, and it nearly toppled her off. Now she could hear the guards trying to get up the stairs, since the door was open. It wouldn't be an "escape later" situation. That had to be done now.

"Stop!" Olfrid's voice could be heard. Lydia ignored her throbbing muscles and climbed herself up on the rafters, hearing them creak and hoping they wouldn't snap. Ellaria reached down and helped her up, and her arm was nearly pulled from its socket. She could only wonder how Lydia could even walk in 100 pounds of pure steel. Those were thoughts for later.

She positioned herself on her back, took a deep breath, and kicked the window out of the frame. It shattered outside. Dangling her legs out, she made the mistake of looking down, and realized how high they were.

"Just jump!" Lydia shouted frantically. The guards were outside the room. Before Ellaria could however, she forcefully pushed herself into her, falling out behind. The air hit them, and it was like a cold bath of relief washing out their struggles. Then they hit the ground.

Ellaria tried to land on her feet, yet when she crashed down, she made a small shriek and fell back from the force. Just after that, Lydia landed on her back, straight on top. Their head banged and the air escaped her in half a second, and she made a strange grunt from it.

"Sorry, my Thane," she got up quickly.

"That doesn't matter," she gagged, standing up too, holding her knee. A few of her ribs didn't feel right either, probably from Lydia's armor. She was terribly hurt, but she started to run and limp, Lydia next to her.

A guard noticed her limping and approached her. They stopped in their tracks, so sure the words "You're under arrest" were coming next. Luckily, this one was half-drunk half-asleep. "You don't know real knee pain," he slurred. "I once took an arrow…"

"Shut up," she stopped him and limped away. That may have been only a few seconds, but still a waste of time. As much as Ellaria wanted to make it to the large, spacious Skyfall Estate, Breezehome was closer. She literally collapsed on the door mat, not bothering to stand back up. Lydia had to open the door and drag her in, refusing to complain. The bright lights and warmth of the hearth weren't close to relief.

"That was close," Lydia stated, taking out bandages from the nearby drawer. Apparently, she thought so.

"Nope," Ellaria responded, her voice nearly a sigh. She took her injured hand up and examined it. The blood had already made it past the cloth, and she could tell it had been dripping down her wrist and arm. How much had come out? "We're dead."

With that, the world became too blurred. She tried to focus on the flickering of firelight on the ceiling, but she could barely make it out. She inhaled, just as the world dimmed to black.

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**Skyfall Estate is a house by Ld50365 on Nexus. It's so nice I had to mention it in fanfiction, so kudos to him.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is the final chapter! I'm not sure how good it is, but I haven't updated in a year, and I was getting impatient. But it's finally done!**

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Ellaria woke up early the next morning. The birds were not awake, and she frowned, having gotten only around 5 hours of sleep. All she wanted to do was drift back to sleep, but the pain was vicious on her body, and she wouldn't be doing any jobs anytime soon. Maybe she could take a nap later in the day, but not right now.

She reached up to wipe the crumbs from her eyes, and found her hand in tight bandages. She didn't remember much, but maybe that was Lydia's kind work. Looking down, she found that her chest and knee were also bandaged, only they felt broken and not bloody. She tried to remember yesterday and tried to think of what could've happened, but it was all a blur. The only thing she assumed was that Lydia heroically saved her, and had to be thanked.

"Lydia!" she screamed with all the air she could manage, then suffering a cough. She started preparing a speech in her mind, a special one. She would be dead in this condition without her loyal friend.

Lydia, thank you, thank you, and thank you again. That is not enough, but I can't say it a thousand times fast enough. I don't know what happened, but you did it again. You saved me and I am once again in your debt. I don't know what you would like me to do, but whether it's healing you too or killing a wolf you don't notice, I'll save you someday.

Then she pushed open the doors, but Ellaria frowned and cancelled her speech. Lydia dragged herself into the room and downed a bottle of mead. She let out a loud belch, and Ellaria crinkled her nose as an attempt to block the stench. She was speechless, this Lydia would not listen to her refined and exciting words. The normal Lydia was kind, loyal and quirky, but drunk Lydia was an opposite story.

"Whatya want, Ella?" she slurred. Ella? she thought, How rude! I never gave her permission to address me informally.

"Ellaria or Thane!" she snapped. "Call me one of the two." Nobody called her Ella. It was rude to shorten an elf's name, but when it was done by one's own kin, it was an insult. She had no blood relationship to Lydia, but her family had pushed the name too far and now nobody knew…

That was no longer true. "Who called me 'Ella'?" she asked suddenly. She knew that Lydia would tell the truth now that she was drunk off her arse.

Lydia hiccuped. "Some fella," she deadpanned and took another swig. Her bottle was empty and she smashed it on the wall next to her. "You 'ear that, Calder?! Go an' get me another!"

She heard someone running down the stairs. "Yes Milady," Calder said flippantly. She was about to ask why her other housecarl was here, but by the way Lydia treated him, she was uncomfortable.

Lydia chuckled for no particular reason. "I told 'im I'm a lady, and now 'e does whatever I tell 'im to do." Like what? Ellaria almost asked out of curiosity. She then realized that Calder had come from Lydia's bedroom, and she only implied. Besides, there was still a question left unanswered.

"Was this 'fellow', by any chance, an Altmer?" she asked professionally, restoring the topic. Just then, Calder came into the room and handing Lydia a bottle of mead. Instead of answering, she complained to him because the bottle still had its cork. Ellaria muttered a curse under her breath, and turned away to roll her eyes. Answer the question! My identity could be in danger, and you bicker with him about mead! She wanted to retort. He left to go uncork the bottle, and she asked again.

"I dunno, didn't get a good close look at him," she still spoke simply. Deciding that she was done standing, she slid down onto the floor and leaned against the wall.

"You're going to have to say more than that," Ellaria replied, too sore to lean off her bed and face her. "So you said it's a man, you're not sure what race he is, and that he called me 'Ella'." She put details together. "Are you sure he was referring to me?"

"He said 'Ella the Dragonborn', so I dunno who else it would be." Calder came in with Lydia's bottle. "Thank you, lovely," she said sarcastically and took the bottle from him. He nodded nervously and left. Ellaria hoped he would leave the house, so she lay in silence. Finally, she heard the front door open and close. She turned to face Lydia when she almost felt a useless ramble coming to her lips.

"You need to speak about important topics right now," she interrupted swiftly. "If there is an Altmer man here is Whiterun who calls me 'Ella', my identity is in danger. I will probably have my arse dragged back to Summerset Isle if I don't have enough details. So spill everything you know."

Lydia looked down, her face red. "Sorry, Thane, I said everything I know," she admitted, slightly more sober. "But we're in a lot of trouble, so we should still get out."

Suddenly, despite the pain, Ellaria's head snapped towards her. "What do you mean?" She nearly growled. When her eyes narrowed, they turned a deeper green shade that could make a Nord man timid if she was looking at him.

Lydia felt the guilt wash over her like a waterfall. It was her fault, but she had to keep that part out. "You tried to rob the Battle-Borns, and it went terribly wrong," she answered vaguely.

Ellaria was going to question her further, but she was now wanted, and had to get out while it was still morning. "You know what? This isn't the first time I've had to run. Go get the man with the carriage, because we are going to Markarth," she declared, and used all her strength to sit up.

"Um...Thane you do know that you are hurt, right?" Lydia asked dumbly.

Ellaria rolled her eyes, "Yes I am aware," she tried to sound cool. "But I'm not about to go to jail hurt. Please get that man, now."

Lydia didn't try to contradict that again. "Yes my Thane," was all she said before leaving.

Ellaria allowed herself to relax. She didn't remember last night at all. But she knew she had two reasons to run, so she better. She allowed herself to look out the window. The morning was clear, and the sunrise could be seen below the lights above. She allowed herself to admire it before she had to leave.

"Carriage is ready," Lydia came back in and told her, and Ellaria was too lost in thought to notice her entrance.

Without warning, Lydia came beside her and lifted her off the bed. Ellaria let out a yelp and Lydia hastily apologized. "It's fine," Ellaria replied, "but please put me down."

Lydia placed her Thane's feet on the ground, but still kept an arm around her for support. Ellaria's last line before leaving was, "Now hurry, and let's go!"

She couldn't help but like Ellaria's impatience. She probably would not be able to keep the secret for long, but she felt a little less shame from it. She was given one task, and she failed. But the worst that Ellaria would do was to never allow her to assist a robbery again.

* * *

**I don't want to write Skyrim fics anymore. I haven't played the game in forever, and lost interest. So long Skyrim fans!**


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